Building socialist democracy

By Li Tieying, China Daily, 5 July 2001

During China's socialist revolution and construction, the Communist
Party of China has led the Chinese people in many explorations and
innovations to establish a socialist democratic system with Chinese
characteristics.

The three generations of collective leadership of the Party,
represented respectively by Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin,
integrated the basic principles of Marxism with China's realities,
summarized the experiences of the Party and the people, and gradually
formulated a theory for the construction of democracy with Chinese
characteristics.

Despite the twists and turns during the process - even such blunders
as the cultural revolution (1966-76) - we have made
unprecedented achievements in the reform and opening-up drive. The
people's congress system and the multi-party co-operation and
political consultation system have all been strengthened and
perfected.

The authority of the Constitution has also been upheld and
reinforced. The initial framework of a socialist legal system has
taken shape and people's human rights have been championed. The
public's awareness of political participation and discussion of state
affairs has increased.

In particular, within the framework of one country, two
systems, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and
Macao SAR have smoothly rejoined the motherland and have retained
their stability and prosperity. The rights and freedom of people in
the two regions are protected.

All this testifies to the fact that the present socialist democratic
system is suited to China's conditions and is effective in practice.

To better highlight the system, I would like to stress the following
points.

First, there is a high-degree integration between the CPC leadership
and the people's mastership of the country.

In old China, people suffered repeated setbacks and defeats in their
struggles for liberation and democracy. A new leaf was turned in
China's history only when the CPC mounted the political stage guided
by Marxism. Without the CPC there would have been no New China, nor
socialism and the people's right to rule the country and be its
master.

The establishment of the leadership of the CPC was not only the
historical choice of the Chinese people, but also the most practical
way to push forward socialist modernization in China and serve the
people's basic interests.

China is a country with an enormous population, vast territory and
many ethnic groups; it is relatively backward in its overall level of
economic and cultural development, and there are dramatic differences
in terms of development from region to region. Only under the
leadership of the CPC can China rapidly boost its economic strength,
achieve prosperity for every citizen, push forward institutional
reform, safeguard national unity, and realize the complete unification
of the country.

President Jiang Zemin has pointed out that the CPC always represents
the development requirements of China's advanced social productive
forces, the progressive orientation of China's advanced culture, and
the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese
people. This makes clear the basic reason why the CPC is qualified to
assume the responsibility of leadership.

The fundamental purpose of the Party's leadership and its assumption
of State authority is to ensure the people's mastership of the
country.

Second, our political institution is characterized by multi-party
co-operation and democratic consultation.

The relationship between the CPC and the non-Communist parties is one
between the party in power and those parties sharing power. This is
completely different to the relationship between the ruling party and
the opposition parties that exists in the West.

Under the leadership of the CPC, multi-party co-operation and
political consultation find expression in democratic consultations
between the CPC and non-Communist parties on major issues,
discussions, mutual supervision between the CPC and the non-Communist
parties, and recommendations of members of the non-Communist parties
for leading positions in government and judicial bodies.

Third, the system of the people's mastership ensures the masses enjoy
genuine human rights. A socialist democracy with Chinese
characteristics respects and protects human rights.

The issue of human rights is not for a minority but for all people
irrespective of their ethnicity, race, sex, profession, family
background, religious faith or education. The Chinese people enjoy
rights ranging from political rights to all economic, cultural and
social rights.

However, human rights are sometimes restrained by the level of
economic development, the social system, and historical, cultural and
other conditions.

For the Chinese people who have suffered so much aggression and
bullying at the hands of colonialists and imperialists since the first
Opium War (1840-1842), the protection of human rights, first of all,
requires the safeguarding of the country's sovereignty, and the right
to survival and development of the people and the nation.

National sovereignty is a prerequisite for an individual's enjoyment
of human rights. This is the historical conclusion the Chinese people
have drawn from their own experiences.

In a nutshell, in leading the whole nation in revolution and
construction, the CPC has gradually established a socialist democracy
with Chinese characteristics.

This is a form of democracy that the Chinese people truly need, a
democracy that is universally enjoyed by the people, and which can
ensure the nation's long-term stability and prosperity.

The new century certainly will bring more challenges to the
construction of democracy. From an international perspective, economic
globalization, an inexorable trend, will inevitably be accompanied
with economic, political and ideological conflicts among countries.

Then, how should we correctly handle the relationship between
globalization and the independent choice of our own development model
and cultural diversity?

This is a great challenge.

Still, we should think seriously about how to improve the present
socialist democratic system today when science and technology are
transforming every aspect of people's lives.

With the reform and opening-up drive further unfolding in China, the
construction of democratic politics faces many urgent problems that
cry out for solutions. These include how to perfect democratic
supervision, eliminate corruption, promote grassroots democracy,
strengthen the concept of rule by law and promote greater respect for
and protection of human rights.

However, in spite of the complicated international situation and huge
domestic tasks ahead, we are confident that we can overcome all the
challenges and strengthen our socialist democratic system.

Editor's Note: The author is a member of the Political Bureau of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.